Love Is An Art
by ItalianCrybaby
Summary: Prince Berwald has always longed to marry someone who could love him for who he is and not for his crown. Now the Prince only has a limited amount of time to find the love of his life. Will he find love with the neighboring village's outcast and artist Tino? And what is it that Tino seems to be hiding from the Prince? (Fairytale type AU) Sufin
1. Prologue

**Hey there People! For those of you following me on tumblr, you'll know that I started posting this story but I haven't updated it in like forever. Well I'm halfway done with the second to last chapter and I'm hoping that if I start posting the story on here then it will encourage me to finish.**

**For now the story is rated T but it might change later for language and abuse. **

**Enjoy!**

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>Berwald Oxenstierna, Prince of Wellbourne, paced around uneasily. His nervous steps resounded off the high stone walls of the castles hall.<br>The Prince's usually stern face now showed obvious concern with his brows furrowed and his lips turned downwards in a small frown. Dark circles had formed under his eyes from his sleepless night. Many of the servants had insisted (at one point even begged) the man to rest, but it was impossible for him to think of sleep at a time like this.

Berwald stopped his pacing momentarily when he thought he heard a noise coming from the room beside him. He stared at the large doors as if hoping that they could tell him what was currently happening inside within the King's chambers.

It was the third time this month that King Gustav, Berwald's father, had fallen ill. It shouldn't have been as surprising as it was, for the King had been carrying this illness with him for a few years now, but it was still distressing for the Kingdom to think that their beloved King might only have a short time left with them.

A low creak echoed through the halls as the door before him opened.

"Your majesty." A small servant girl curtsied as she greeted the prince. She trembled slightly and didn't make eye contact with the prince. This was normal since so many of the servants found the Berwald's hard looks to be a bit frightening. "The King is doing slightly better now. His fever has gone down and he has asked to speak with you."

Berwald nodded towards the girl in thanks and quickly made his way in to see his father.

The King's room was very dim since the heavy curtains were drawn closed. The only source of light came from a candle that flickered on a nightstand to illuminate the King's pale face. The dim light also revealed the rise and fall of the King's chest was unsteady, meaning that his breathing was shallow and shaky.

"Berwald…" The King called out in a weak voice.

Berwald approached the bedside and gently took his father's hand. He frowned at how clammy it felt in his own.

"Ah'm right here." The Prince reassured the King with his deep accented voice. The accent was something he had taken from his mother, the Queen.

The Queen had been a noble woman from the land of Fairseas before she met Gustav. The woman liked speaking her own language since she felt it connected her to her homeland. She spoke to Berwald in her own native tongue (something the King encouraged her to do) as often as she could before her untimely death 3 years ago… Incidentally, right before the King's health started deteriorating.

"My son…" King Gustav started as he weakly wrapped his hand around Berwald's. "I've been meaning to speak to you about a very important matter that cannot wait any longer… I'm afraid that my time on this earth is growing short."

"Father please…" Berwald whispered desperately. He couldn't help but feel distraught about his father speaking about his life coming to an end so naturally.

"Don't be disheartened my son." The King continued. "I've lived a good life and I know that the Kingdom will be left in your good hands when I'm gone… However, there is one thing that I cannot leave unfinished."

Berwald waited anxiously as King Gustav paused to cough harshly.

"Berwald, you have grown into a fine young man, but I worry about you. You will be nearing your 21st year and you have not yet found a bride to stand alongside you when you take the throne."

Berwald shifted uncomfortably. Ever since the Prince had turned 18, the King had been hosting balls and other events to get Berwald to meet someone. These events had proved to be uneventful for women either fled from him upon seeing his face or smothered him with too much attention when they discovered he was a prince.

"Ah understan' yer concern, but ya don' have ta worry abou' me. Ah'll find someone." Berwald reassured the King.

"But I do worry. I don't want you to be alone when you take the throne. I want to be reassured that you will have someone by your side to not only ease the pain of my passing, but to also assist you with the Kingdom's duties… This is why I have arranged a marriage for you with a girl from a neighboring Kingdom."

"No!" Berwald exclaimed suddenly, causing the King to jump in surprise. "Father, Ah can' marry someone Ah've never me'."

"Of course you can." The King replied in his weak raspy voice. "Arranged marriages occur all the time. It's how I met your mother and you know very well that I loved her dearly. Trust me when I say you'll like this girl. In her letter she seemed very eager to join the royal family."

"But tha's just it… Ah don' wan' ta marry someone who only wishes ta be with me because Ah'm a Prince." Berwald countered. "Ah know how people see me. They fear me an' only approach me when they fin' ou' Ah'm a royal." Berwald paused to take a deep breath. "Ah don' wan' ta marry someone like her. Ah wan' ta find someone who loves me for me."

Berwald looked at his father hoping that the man would understand his feelings and call off the marriage.

The King sighed and turned his gaze away from his son. He seemed to be pondering over the Prince's words.

"Alright. I can understand your hesitancy when it comes to finding a life partner." The King replied. "However, I still refuse to see you unwed before my passing, so I shall make you a deal. You must find a bride within two weeks, otherwise you must marry a bride of my choosing for you."

Berwald hesitated to agree. He looked uncomfortable with what his father was asking if him…

"It will be my dying wish to see you married." The King said in a quiet voice. His eyes started to droop as he grew more tired.

It was then that Berwald knew he couldn't deny the King, his father, of the only thing he asked of him.

"Ah will find a wife." Berwald answered determinedly. "An' ya will be there ta witness our marriage."

The King, looking quite appeased, thanked his son before drifting off to sleep.

The Prince rose from his father's bedside and left the room to give the man some much needed rest. He knew it was best not to loiter there much longer anyways.

He had a task to complete.

He needed to find himself a bride that not only he loved, but who could love him in return despite his somewhat terrifying features…

But where would the Prince find such a bride?

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><p>18 year old Tino Väinämoinen tiptoed quietly through the living room of his family's small cottage. Well, technically this wasn't his family's cottage. It belonged to the Village's landowner Mr. Braginski. But that was besides the point. The point was that Tino was trying to move through the house as quietly as possible so he wouldn't wake up his step-father.<p>

The man was a horrible drunk who always wasted the family's money on (I'm sure you've already guessed it) booze. So it was no surprise to Tino that he found the man asleep on the living room floor with an empty beer bottle in his hand. The pungent smell of sweat and alcohol filling the tiny cottage.

Tino clutched a notebook he was holding along with a few pieces of charcoal as he walked around the drunkard. When one of the charcoal sticks slipped from his grasp and clinked onto the floor, the teen stilled. The sound had caused his step-father to stir and groan from the place he lay. Tino held his breath in fear of the man waking up, but he soon let out a relieved sigh when the man remained asleep.

Hurrying as quietly as he could, Tino picked up his fallen charcoal stick and exited the cottage. Once safely outside, the teen did a small victory leap before running off into the town.

You may think it ridiculous for Tino to be afraid of someone who passes out into a drunken heap on the living room floor, but he had an excuse. While the man may seem pathetic when hungover, he could actually get a bit rough… both when drunk and sober. So Tino, just like his mother, liked to avoid the man as much as possible.

The afternoon sun bathed the street and trees in a warm yellow glow as Tino traveled down the narrow road that lead into town. Smiling and waving to the locals as he went, Tino made his way to his favorite place to sit and rest. The edge of a water fountain in the very heart of town.

The teen sat down eagerly and opened his notebook which was full of lively sketches. Skipping past the many drawings of animals, birds, and villagers, Tino found the first available blank page and immediately grabbed one of his charcoal sticks, ready to draw.

Oh how the violet eyed teen loved days like this! It was so easy for Tino to find inspiration in this environment. The sound of flowing water from the fountain behind him mixed with the bustling noise of villagers going about their everyday life was music to Tino's ears. Such sounds fueled his youthful imagination.

Paying a particular amount of attention on the pair of children playing and squealing with delight by the bakery with their small dog, Tino brought his hand down to make the first marks of a new drawing in his notebook.

Some of the villagers who passed by the teen gave him odd looks and would whisper behind their hands about how strange they thought the young boy was to always waste his time on what they believed to be a useless talent. They didn't think Tino could ever hear them but they were mistaken. Tino knew quite well of what others thought of him and although it bothered him it was never enough to stop the lad from doing what he loved most.

Now, because he was so lost in his thoughts and concentrating on drawing the scene before him, Tino did not realize he was being watched until a tall figure cast a shadow over him.

"Good afternoon, small one." A childlike voice greeted him.

Tino looked up to find a tall man staring down at him with a huge grin that made the teen's spine shiver.

"G-good afternoon… Mr. Braginski." Tino greeted the man awkwardly.

"Please, there is no need to be so formal. Call me Ivan." The man instructed. The grin never left his face.

"O-oh, I don't think I could ever do that Mr. Braginski." Tino replied as he shifted nervously in his seat. "It wouldn't really feel right to refer to someone as important as you by your first name. First names are usually used when you're close friends with someone… Not that I don't see you as a friend! Although I really don't see us as friends at all because our statuses are so different and we barely talk and you can be kind of intimida…"

"What is it that you have there?" Ivan cut off and ignored Tino's nervous rant to turn his attention to the teen's unfinished drawing.

Tino blushed with embarrassment from his rant, something his was always prone to do whenever he was nervous, but he was happy he had been stopped before he could say something really embarrassing.

"This is just a little sketch I'm working o- HEY!" Tino had begun to explain what he had been doing when Ivan had unexpectedly snatched the notebook right out of his hands. Tino immediately tried to swipe the notebook back but the other male was much too tall and easily kept it out of reach as he flipped through the book.

"Hmm… these are surprisingly good." The tall man stated aloud.

"T-thank you. Now may I please have my book back Mr. Braginski?" Tino tried his best not sound angry as Ivan rudely continued to look through the book.

"You mistake my comment as a compliment." Ivan laughed before placing the notebook back into the teen's waiting hands. "You must have wasted a lot of time to have perfected such a… hm… I can't really call this a skill since it does not put bread on the table, now can it?"

Tino clutched his notebook protectively to his chest, just in case Ivan tried to make another grab for it, and said with a glare, "Well, not trying to sound rude, but I believe that you and I have a very different idea of what the word 'skill' means. Besides, there are plenty of artists who get paid for their talents."

"That may be true in some other places, but your art will never be appreciated in such a small town like this one." Ivan pointed out. "Hard work is more esteemed than silly little hobbies."

At this point Tino felt his face turn bright red in anger. He turned his face away so Ivan couldn't see how aggravated he was.

"Was there something that you needed from me, Mr. Braginski?" Tino asked, deliberately changing the subject. He felt if he didn't do so, then he would end up saying something that he would regret to the town's important landowner.

"Yes there is." Ivan said, his grin growing wider. "I was wondering if you could tell me why your father has not yet paid rent for that lovely little cottage that I own."

Tino's anger quickly melted away into worry.

So his step-father had forgotten to pay the rent again? It really shouldn't have caught the teen off guard more than it already had. The man often had trouble paying for things that weren't alcohol.

"I'm not sure why my step-father hasn't paid you yet, but I'm sure he will do it soon." Tino answered.

"I would hope so." Ivan replied. "It would be a shame if I had to kick your family out onto the streets… although, if it ever did come to that, you are always welcome to live in my home as a servant."

'You mean as a slave.' Tino thought bitterly to himself. He had seen these so called "servants" that Ivan had in his home and the three men always looked like nervous wrecks!

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm sure it will never have to come to that." Tino said as he gathered his things. "I'll be sure to let my step-father know that he needs to pay you. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way home. Have a good day Mr. Braginski."

Without waiting for the other man to reply, Tino dashed away in the opposite direction of his home, because there was no way he was going home were to where his abusive step-father was.

Instead the teen found a secluded patch of grass on the outskirts of town where he sat to rest. Taking a deep breath, Tino looked down at his notebook.

The people in this town were wrong… Drawing wasn't a useless talent. He just knew it wasn't. And one day he would show them. One day, Tino would be able to travel and share his art with people who could really appreciate it. And on the journey he would find more beautiful sights and scenery to fuel his maybe… just maybe… he could find someone along the way to understand why drawing was so important to him...

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><p>So here is the prologue for my sufin story.<p>

OH!

And also before I go, I want to give a HUUUUUUUGE thank you to KuroRiya. I messaged KuroRiya not too long ago and asked her for some advice on how to write Berwald's part and she gave me the BEST advice. I wouldn't have known how to even start this story without her. Thank you sooooooo MUCH!


	2. Chapter 1

**Okk. So I was planning on posting this tomorrow but somehow I ended up coming an hour early to work. So I'm posting this and working on the story since I have some free time. **

**Enjoy! **

Tino walked into town the next morning with a small groan.

After informing his step-father the night before that Mr. Braginski had been inquiring about the rent, the man had gotten upset saying he'd pay the man when he paid him…or something like that. It was very hard for Tino to understand his stepfather when the man slurred his words together.

Anyways, the reason why Tino was groaning was because, for some odd reason, Tino's step-father had gotten upset with him for delivering 's massage and decided to shove him into the kitchen table. (Tino had wondered if the man had ever heard the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger".)

Tino rubbed his lower back as he continued to walk. It was his back that had taken most of the damage since it was the first to collide with the table. But at least the pain was bearable. There had been times in the past where Tino had been hurt so badly by his step-father that he could barely move.

Tino sighed in relief when the town square came into view. It meant he was that much closer to being able to sit and draw and take his mind off of his frustratingly bothersome step-father. But first he had to drop something off to his mother.

The woman had been just as eager to leave the house this morning as Tino was. So in her hurry to leave, she had forgotten to take her lunch with her. It was understandable since the man took out his anger on her just as much as he had on Tino…

The teen quickly found the town's bakery and walked in. He was greeted by the shop owner and was permitted to go into the back room when he asked for his mother.

"Mom?" Tino called as he entered the room.

A woman with light blonde hair and slim figure who was in the middle of kneading bread looked up.

"Tino!" she smiled at her son as she wiped her flour dusted hands on her apron. She left her work to give her son a hug. "What are you doing here, darling?"

Tino pulled away from the hug to smile and held up a small tin pail. "You forgot your lunch." He replied with a smile.

"Ah, I thought I had forgoten something. Thank you dear." Tino's mother kissed the top of her son's head before taking the pail and setting it on the table. "So what was your father doing when you left the house?"

Tino's smile dropped from his face. "You mean my step-father… and he was doing his usual mumbling and tumbling about the house after having his morning gin."

Tino's mother looked troubled upon hearing that.

"I see." She answered quietly. "He was supposed to go to the blacksmith for work today… Maybe he will still go in later on." Tino's mother said with false hope before smiling at her son again. "Anyways, thank you again for bringing my lunch. You have a safe trip home."

"It was no problem. And actually, I'm going to stay in town for a little while longer." Tino replied.

"I'm not sure if it's such a good idea for you to stay in town today." Tino's mother said firmly. Her face grew serious as she spoke.

"Why not?"

"Some strange man has come into town today." Tino's mother answered with a frown. "Everyone is in a bit of a tizzy about it. No one knows why he is here. He's just been walking around town glaring at ever one as he goes… He gave the poor old seamstress lady such a fright this morning."

Tino frowned as well. The man sounded a bit odd for going around town with such a foul mood. But he'd rather take his chances running into the stranger while in town than to go back home to his step-father.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to be hanging around the fountain anyways. That area stays pretty busy anyways so I'll be safe." Tino said to his mother.

"Alright then, darling." Tino's mother gave her son a kiss before saying, "I'll see you at home later."

Tino said goodbye and let his mother continue her work. He left the store looking down at his sketchbook and made his way to the fountain.

* * *

><p>Berwald looked at his feet feeling uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed. Why did he think this was a good idea? He didn't fit into a place like this…<p>

After the conversation he had with the King yesterday, Berwald tried to think of ways he could meet someone without them knowing he was a prince. The best idea he had gotten was to disguise himself as a traveler and visit one of the nearby towns in hopes that people would accept him thus making it easier for him to find a companion. But now that Berwald was actually among his people, wearing commoner clothes and carrying around a fake traveler's bag, he realized this was a terrible idea.

It was barely noon and already he scared away 3 children, 5 men, and he even made an elderly woman cry when he had simply said "Hello".

Berwald always knew that people found him a bit daunting but this was ridiculous! Without a crown upon his head, Berwald was nothing more than a random stranger and an outcast. Shunned by the towns people before he was even given a chance.

How was he going to find a bride now?

Feeling disappointed by the little progress he had made (which was none), Berwald decided to sit and rest on the edge of a fountain. The sound of running water was soothing and helped calm some of the prince's worries, but he wondered about what he should do next. Should he walk around the town a while longer and try to make light conversation with some of the people? Should he try his luck in another town or would they also avoid Berwald because of his scary features?

As Berwald thought about all of his possible options, a person looking through a book began to walk by him. This person obviously wasn't looking where he was going and seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Luckily, Berwald was much more observant. So when the person stepped on a loose stone on the fountain's pathway and lost his footing, the prince was quick to grab hold of the back of the male's shirt before he could fall face first into the ground. Berwald had expected the short male to get ahold of his footing and stand up right, but instead the male gasped in pain as he continued to stumble over his own feet. Worried that he had been too rough and hurt the boy, Berwald wrapped his arm around the other's waist and pulled him against his chest.

"A-are ya alrigh'?" The prince asked in concern. He looked down at the male but was only able to see the top of the young man's light blonde hair.

The blonde stranger was silent for a moment, most likely trying to gather his senses over what had just happened, and pulled away.

"Y-yes I'm fine. Thank you for helping me. A-and I'm so sorry! I don't mean to be so clumsy! I was jus- oh!" The young man spoke quickly as he turned around to see the face of his savior. When their eyes met, both men gasped.

Berwald immediately felt his heart hammering in his chest as violet eyes stared up at him. The young man's face was slim but round and long eyelashes framed his wide eyes. Berwald felt completely entranced by who he believed to be the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on.

But the other male seemed to have a different reaction upon seeing Berwald.

The emotion that flashed across the other male's eyes was one Berwald recognized all too easily. It was fear. It disheartened the prince greatly. This beautiful stranger would react to him just as every other person in this village had. He would fear him just like the others had and run away, never to be seen again.

But that's not what happened.

Instead of running away, the man stayed where he was and his look of fear slowly melted away into a look of confusion. It was a look Berwald was not expecting… but it was better than having the other fleeing in fear.

The silence between the two had now gotten to the point where it felt a bit awkward. Berwald tried thinking of something he could say to break the tension but he was surprised once again when it was the other male that spoke first.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare." He said as he looked down at his feet. "That's incredibly rude of me to do to someone who just helped me."

Berwald was speechless. It was rare for people to initiate a conversation like this with him. He didn't know what to say… Hell, he didn't even know what to do!

"It's ok…" Berwald decided on saying. He noticed that the other male had his hand resting on his back as if it was bothering him. "Ah'm sorry."

Violet eyes looked back up at him in confusion. "Wha-?"

"Ah didn' mean ta be rough with ya…" Berwald said apologetically as he motioned towards the stranger's injury.

Confusion turned into understanding as the other smiled (a gesture that made the prince's beating heart flutter) and he said, "Oh, don't worry about that. That wasn't you. I had injured my back before you helped me. I had injured it yesterday when I, uh… fell."

Berwald furrowed his eyebrows at the other's reply. Something about his last statement seemed false, but Berwald didn't inquire about it lest he come off as too intrusive.

"So I'm guessing you're the traveler everyone is talking about." The stranger changed the subject. "My name is Tino by the way. Tino Väinämoinen."

Tino… Berwald decided that name was beautiful. Perfect.

"Berwal'." Berwald said in a daze. "My name is Berwal'."

"Berwald…" Tino repeated with a smile. "Well it's nice to meet you, Berwald. And thank you again for preventing my face from becoming better acquainted with the ground." Berwalds lip twitched into a small smile as the teen continued to speak. "My mom says I need to pay attention to my surroundings but I was concentrating on trying to find my charcoal stick. I could've sworn I had placed it in my journal but it's not here."

Tino glared down at his book with a pout as if he was angry with it for losing his writing utensil.

Berwald continued to stare at the boy in amusement. It was simply endearing the way Tino spoke and acted. The teen was also especially amusing because Berwald noticed right away that the lad's so called "missing" charcoal stick was tucked safely behind Tino's right ear.

"Where do ya think ya lef' it?" Berwald feigned curiosity. The prince felt the urge to be playful with Tino and wanted to see how long it would take the teen to realize he had the missing item on him.

"I don't know." Tino replied looking back up at Berwald with those breathtaking eyes. "I could've left it anywhere. Maybe in my room on my desk, maybe it rolled onto my floor, or it could be somewhere in my kitchen. I wonder if I put it in my mother's lunch pail. Or I could've dropped it! It might have fallen on the road somewhere or I could've dropped it in the bakery. I hope no one finds it and takes it. That would be so rude of them to take it without trying to find its owner. I hope that they at least take care of it an-" Tino cut himself off and his eyes grew wide. A light blush appeared on his face as he said, "S-sorry. I didn't mean to ramble. You must find that annoying."

Berwald's eyes softened. How could he ever find Tino annoying? The teen was adorable when he rambled. It was a nice change from what he was used to.

"No' annoying." Berwald reassured the other. "An' Ah'm sure no one took it."

Tino smiled bashfully and hugged his journal closer to his chest.

"T-thank you." Tino replied shyly. "And you're probably right. Usually when I lose things they have a tendency of turning up right under my nose."

"Or behin' yer ear."Berwald added. He tried to sound teasing when he said it, but as usual his voice came out in the same gruff monotonous way as it always did.

Tino tilted his head in confusion before realization dawned on his face. Face turning beet red, Tino lifted a hand behind his ear and slowly grabbed the charcoal stick. He looked between the charcoal and Berwald looking upset.

Berwald started wondering if it was a good idea to not have told Tino where it was in the first place. Was he going to yell at him? Would he stomp away from the prince in huff and not want to talk to him ever again?

"Well, geez… isn't that embarrassing!" Tino's anger vanished as he laughed. The sound was music to Berwald's ears and made his worries disappear. "You knew the whole time didn't you? Hasn't anyone told you it's not nice to tease young airheaded villagers?"

Berwald's lips twitched into another small smile.

"Ah migh' have hear' someone mention somethin' like tha' once or twice before." Berwald answered. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this playful.

This comment made Tino laugh again. Berwald felt pride swell in his chest for being able to elicit such a pleasing sound from the young man. But Berwald also noticed that Tino was absentmindedly resting his hand on his back again. Was it really causing him that much pain?

"Woul' ya like ta si' down an' talk?" Berwald asked as he motioned towards the edge of the fountain.

"I'd love to." Tino smiled. He sat down and waited for Berwald to sit next to him before continuing to speak. "This is where I was coming anyways. I come sit at this fountain every day to find inspiration."

"Are ya a writer?" Berwald questioned.

"Ha! No. I don't think I could ever be a writer. I'm not good with words." Tino answered. "I mean, I know I talk a lot but my words are usually a bunch of nonsense and I go on forever. Could you imagine me writing a book full of nonsense that just goes on and on forever?! The poor reader would probably die of boredom!"

Berwald highly doubted that. He would gladly read a hundred nonsense books so long as they were written by Tino.

"I'm guessing you thought I was a writer 'cause of the journal, right?" Tino asked rhetorically. "Well, this journal is actually my sketch book… I like to draw." Tino looked down at his feet awkwardly. "That probably sounds like a silly hobby to you."

Berwald shook his head. "No' silly a' all."

Tino looked up, eyes wide in surprise. "You don't think it's silly?"

"No' if it's somethin' ya like ta do." Berwald answered making the other smile once again. It thrilled Berwald to discover something Tino had an interest in right away. He wanted to know more about Tino's interests and what lit a spark in him. "Can Ah see yer drawin's?"

Tino paused. He bit his lip as he thought about it for a moment, but then nodded. Tino slowly passed his sketchbook over to Berwald. A look of apprehension on his face.

Berwald held the book gently in his hands. He wanted to be as careful as possible with the item that was so obviously important to the teen sitting beside him. Berwald opened the book and let out a small gasp when he saw what was inside.

Beautiful charcoal sketches took up each page. Each was more beautiful than the last. Some of the sketches were of places like the bookstore across the street or the bakery down the road while others were of living things such as birds, animals, and people. But every picture was carefully detailed and full of life. The prince felt like the drawing could hop right off the page!

"Tino…" Berwald spoke barely above a whisper. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the book. "These are amazin'."

"Really?"

"They're beautiful. Wonderful. They're-" Berwald cut himself off when he looked up. Ocean blue eyes locked with violet. Tino's eyes shined brightly with hope. "… breathtakin'."

Tino's cheeks dusted pink but he did not break away from Berwald's gaze.

Berwald was in a trance. Those eyes held him in place. Made everything else fade away. The prince felt like he was floating, leaning in closer to the beautiful teen before him.

"Tino!"

Both men jumped and looked away from each other. Now it was Berwald's turn to turn red. He couldn't believe he lost his composure and almost kissed Tino when he'd barely just met the boy!

"Mom?" Tino addressed the person who had called his name. It was an older woman who had the same color hair as Tino. "I thought you didn't get off of work until later."

"I got off early." The woman replied. She eyed Berwald carefully as she spoke to her son. "I thought we could walk home together."

"Oh, uh… actually I kind of wanted to hang around here with Berwald for a while longer." Tino told his mother.

Berwald's eyes grew slightly wider. Tino wanted to stay here longer? With him?!

Tino's mother frowned.

"I don't think so. I know for a fact that you didn't finish your chores today, because you failed to complete them yesterday." She replied.

Tino sighed in defeat. "Ok I'm coming."

Berwald's heart dropped as Tino gathered his things. Tino was leaving? So soon? But Berwald was just starting to get to know the young villager.

"It was nice meeting you Berwald." Tino smiled at the disguised prince as he rose to leave.

Berwald's mind was drawing a blank. He didn't want to say goodbye. He wanted to see Tino again. But he didn't know how to ask without coming off too strong.

"Would you like to meet again tomorrow?" Tino asked before Berwald could find the words to ask Tino himself. "Same time? Same place?"

Berwald was too shocked to answer. He felt like his mouth had suddenly soldered itself shut. So he simply nodded his head.

"Great!" Tino beamed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Tino waved goodbye as he left with his mother.

As the two walked away, Berwald could barely make out their conversation.

"So that's the traveler everyone has been talking about... Goodness gracious he's terrifying!"

"No he isn't… Well, maybe he is a little scary, but he doesn't mean to be. He is actually very kind...&

Berwald sat at the fountain a while longer trying to process what had just happened. Although it happened fast and it was all a bit confusing the prince discovered he didn't care. He was falling for the villager. There was no other that the prince would want as bride. All he wanted was for that sweet, awkward, loveable, and airheaded teen to be his wife.

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><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to write a review to let me know what you think. <strong>

**Now I must go and prepare to serve out smiles and yogurt to rude customers. Yaaaaaaaaay! **


	3. Chapter 2

**Yaaaay! Next Chapter. Enjoy**

**Warning: Hints of abuse.**

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><p>Berwald left the castle early the next day. He knew it would be hours before Tino would arrive at the fountain, but the prince found that he couldn't wait to leave. Those big violet eyes haunted his memory. The boy was all Berwald could think about.<p>

It still amazed the prince that Tino had accepted him so quickly. While Berwald frightened and made the other villagers nervous, reactions that Berwald never tried to evoke from others, Tino reached out to him and spoke to him like he was an ordinary person.

As he approached the town, Berwald couldn't help but think about how exciting and scary these new emotions felt. He was filled with hope when he thought about his feelings for Tino, but at the same time he felt terrified. For what if Tino never felt the same for Berwald as Berwald felt for Tino?

"Hey, Berwald!"

Berwald snapped his head up at the sound of his name being called by a familiar voice.

Tino sat at the fountain with his journal and was waving at the disguised prince. Tino's smile beamed at him like sunshine. Berwald's heart immediately started hammering in his chest at the sight. Berwald had to mentally tell himself to keep it together!

"Goo'mornin'." Berwald greeted the other as he approached him. "Yer early."

"Yeah, but so are you." Tino pointed out as Berwald took a seat next to him. "I guess we were both excited to come back here."

Berwald raised an eyebrow at that. Tino was eager to see him again?

"Oh, uh… not that I was over eager to come hang out with you again." Tino said in a rush when he saw the look on Berwald's face. "It's not like I couldn't stop thinking about our meeting yesterday or anything and wanted to see you. I barely even thought about you at all… no wait that doesn't sound nice… 'Cause I _did_ want to see you but not in the over eagerness sort of way that I was talking about before. I was the right amount of eager that anyone would feel when meeting up with a friend… Did any of that make any sense to you?"

Berwald's lips twitched into a small grin. The prince didn't think he would ever tire of the way Tino spoke in that nervous rush. The other didn't seem to think over his words before he spoke, but Berwald didn't mind. It made Tino honest and adorably polite.

"Make's perfec' sense." Berwald replied.

Tino smiled shyly at Berwald's reply causing the other's heart to skip a beat. Berwald had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He wanted to be more cautious than he was yesterday. One slip and he might try kissing Tino again. The prince couldn't do that and risk having the other run away from him in fear or worse… disgust. For, the more time Berwald spent with Tino, the more he realized he was completely infatuated with him.

"So, I totally remembered where I put my charcoal stick today…" Tino said as he untucked his favorite drawing tool from behind his ear and waved it triumphantly in the air while playfully waggling an eyebrow. "And I am so ready to draw something."

"Wha' do ya plan on drawin' today?" Berwald asked.

"That's what I was contemplating on before you came." Tino admitted as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I always draw the same stuff. Rarely anything new happens in this town so my notebook is full of similar places and faces… So I was kind of wondering…"

Tino trailed off, his face had grown red as if he was embarrassed to continue.

"Wonderin'?…" Berwald said as he tried to encourage Tino to continue.

"IwaswonderingifIcoulddrawyou!" Tino said in a rush. His eyes were scrunched close and the blush on his face refused to let up.

Any normal person would have been confused by the rushed words that left Tino's mouth, but Berwald wasn't any normal person. Being a hard person to understand himself, Berwald easily deciphered what Tino was trying to ask.

"Ya wan' ta draw me?" Berwald asked in surprise.

"Oh my gosh, you actually caught that?!" Tino opened his eyes in shock, but he quickly shook his head to get himself back on track. "I-I mean, yes! I hope you don't find it to forward or awkward for me to ask you that. And I'm not asking if I can draw you because you're new to this town. I'm asking because you're different… B-but a good different! Like I feel that there is more to you than what others may see and I would like to try and capture that. And I am now just realizing how weird this request sounds and I am so sorry and you can completely erase this entire conversation from your memory and we can move on to other things like talking about the weather!"

Although the request had taken Berwald aback at first, Tino's explanation left the prince feeling warm. Having someone see him differently than how others saw him was exactly what the prince wanted.

As Tino continued to fret and twirl a lock of hair between his fingers, Berwald felt nothing but adoration for the other. He didn't think it was possible, but every moment the prince spent with the smaller male made him realize he was growing more and more infatuated with the teen.

"Ah'd be honore' ta have ya draw me." Berwald replied. He enjoyed watching Tino's distress melt into a look of joy.

"R-really?! Thank you so much!" Tino beamed.

Berwald could practically feel the happiness radiating off the other.

"I promise not to make this weird." Tino tried his best to sound professional but his eagerness was all too obvious as he stumbled over himself to open his notebook. "When I say that I mean that I'm not going to ask you to stay in an awkward pose for a long time. Actually, you don't have to pose at all. Just act natural and I'll draw."

Berwald nodded in understanding as he let Tino begin his work.

Watching Tino draw was a sight that Berwald would describe of nothing short of amazing. The prince was transfixed by every movement. Tino gently holding the charcoal pencil, his hand moving skillfully and swiftly against the paper. Tino brushing the hair from his eyes every so often to clearly see the page before him… It was breathtaking.

Berwald tried his best not to make it obvious that he couldn't tear his eyes away by forcing himself to avert his gaze to the water in the fountain every time Tino glanced up at him.

"So Berwald…" Tino said as he continued to draw. "I didn't ask yesterday, and I've been curious, so if you don't mind me asking… Where are you from? Your accent doesn't sound like it's from around here."

Berwald couldn't help but smile at what Tino said. Yes, his accent made it sound like he was from far away but if Tino knew he would most likely laugh if he knew Berwald was from very very close by. Living in the castle just beyond the hill outside of the village. Next in line to rule the kingdom…

"From Fairseas." Berwald lied, giving his mother's birthplace. It was after all where his accent was from.

"Ha! That makes our Kingdoms neighbors." Tino laughed as he quickly glanced up from his drawing to give Berwald a smile before continuing his work. "Why did you decide to start traveling?"

This question made Berwald pause. He didn't know quite how to answer it. If he was truthful he would say it was to find a bride. But that would probably weird Tino out and cause him to run away. Berwald wished he had put more thought into this traveler he was pretending to be. Maybe he subconsciously thought he wouldn't get this far into a conversation with someone?

"Wan'ed ta mee' new people." Berwald answered carefully. At least his answer was partially true.

"Why's that?"

"… Wan'ed ta find someone who's no' afrai' of me."

Tino stopped drawing. He looked at Berwald in surprise with his wide violet eyes. His surprise turned into a look of sad understanding. Tino's head drooped slightly as he looked back at his drawing.

"The way you say that… sounds like you haven't had much luck…" Tino said quietly.

Berwald nodded his head with a frown. No, Berwald hadn't had luck when he started his journey in this town. In fact, he never had much luck before leaving the castle. Thinking of all the servants that were too afraid to approach him. All of those social events where people refused to make eye contact with the prince unless they knew they could benefit something from talking to him. The memories saddened the prince greatly.

"I'm sorry about that." Tino spoke softly, pulling Berwald out of his thoughts. There was a genuine kindness in his voice that gave some comfort to the prince. But only a little.

"Ya don' have ta be sorry." Berwald answered looking down at the glistening water of the fountain with furrowed brows. "I know people see me."

Tino bit his lip as he looked hard at his drawing. His features changed as he became upset over something.

"That's just not fair." Tino spoke a bit louder now. Berwald glanced up to find that Tino was looking at him determinedly. "It's not fair for people to look at you and steer away from you just because they think you are a certain way."

Berwald's face softened. "Yer no' like tha'."

"I can't be like that." Tino replied. Tino looked down as unshed tears began to brim in his eyes. "I refuse to be like that when I know that the people in this village do the same thing to me."

Those words stabbed at Berwald's heart. It pained the prince greatly to know that Tino, this young kindhearted teen, had been so wrongfully judged and turned away from by others. The look of sadness on Tino's face was a sadness Berwald knew all too well. It was a feeling of loneliness that he would never wish upon another. Especially Tino.

Being as gentle as he could be, Berwald slowly took one of Tino's hands into his own. The unexpected gesture caused the smaller male to gasp and to jump slightly in his seat, but he quickly relaxed. Tino even offered Berwald a soft smile as he interwined his fingers with the disguised prince's.

Having Tino return such a gesture made Berwald's heart soar. His pulse quickened and he had to look away again to control an oncoming blush.

"You're awfully sweet, aren't you?" Tino giggled. All sign of tears were gone from his eyes. He smiled brightly as he gave Berwald's hand a light squeeze.

The prince didn't know how to answer that. As always, Tino had left him speechless and it had now become impossible for Berwald to hide his blush.

The two stayed like that for a while. Berwald silently enjoyed the surprisingly cool touch of Tino's hand. It felt nice on such a warm day as this.

"Um… Berwald?" Tino spoke up after a few minutes.

"Hm?"

"I kind of need my hand back to finish the drawing."

Berwald quickly let go of Tino's hand and clasped it with his own. The prince had to mentally chastise himself again. He had to try harder to keep it together, but it was so hard when he found Tino so endearing.

Tino laughed it off as he turned his attention back to his drawing. Tino looked down at his notebook, giving it more attention than he did before, and Berwald couldn't help but notice that Tino's ears had turned slightly red. The prince wondered if it had anything to do with them holding hands…

Hours passed by as Tino continued to draw. The whole time, Tino and Berwald talked. Well… Tino talked. Berwald mostly listened. And every so often, when Berwald asked to see how the drawing would come out or tried to sneak a peek, Tino would hold the notebook to his chest and tell Berwald to "have some patience" and to "let an artist do his work".

Many people passed by and gave them disapproving looks, but neither noticed. And even if they did, they most likely would not have cared. For Tino found that he enjoyed having someone to talk to who appreciated his art and Berwald was too focused on Tino to mind anyone else.

When Berwald realized the sun would be setting soon, he felt disheartened. He knew he had to return to the castle by a certain time to check on his father. Plus, he wouldn't feel right keeping Tino out past sundown.

"I's getting' late." Berwald noted. "Ya probably wan' ta ge' home ta yer family now."

Tino frowned when his family was mentioned.

"It's not _that_ late. There's still some light out." Tino replied. He looked up at Berwald with pleading eyes. "Can't we hang out for a little while longer?"

Berwald frowned himself. It felt almost impossible to say no to such a face. Plus, he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to spend some more time with the young villager, but he knew it would be best if Tino went home now.

"Don' wan' ya stayin' out when i's dark." Berwald explained. He patted Tino's head, hoping that it would lighten up the other's mood. "I don' wan' ya ta gettin' hur'."

Tino laughed almost bitterly to himself. This made Berwald raise a curious brow. When Tino noticed, he looked away with a blush.

"I… uh… haven't finished your drawing yet." Tino said quickly. He was still looking down. Like he was deliberately trying to avoid Berwald's gaze.

Berwald couldn't help but feel that Tino was hiding something by changing the topic. Part of him felt concerned and wanted to inquire about Tino's behavior, but he didn't want to pressure Tino into telling him.

"I's ok." Berwald replied. "Maybe we can mee' again an' ya can finish it then?"

"Tomorrow…" Tino said. He finally lifted his head to look up at Berwald. The prince held back a gasp when he noticed that Tino's eyes looked sad. "Can we meet again tomorrow? You aren't leaving the village any time soon, are you? You wouldn't leave before the drawing is finished, would you?"

'_Leave?_' Berwald wondered to himself. '_Why would Tino think I would lea-… Oh, that's right. I'm supposed to be a traveler._'

"Ah'm no' leavin' anytime soon." Berwald reassured the other. "An' Ah'd be happy ta see ya again tomorrow."

Berwald's reply seemed to appease Tino, for he was smiling once again.

"Thank you!" Tino beamed at Berwald before throwing his arms around the other for a hug.

The gesture was completely unexpected. Berwald thought his brain would surely cease to work. Those thin arms held him in surprisingly tight embrace. Before the prince could regain control of his brain and hug the other back, Tino had already pulled away.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Tino said rising from his seat and gathering his items.

Berwald stood as well. "See ya tomorrow." The prince replied.

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><p>Tino couldn't control his blush as he walked away. He looked back a couple of times to see that Berwald was watching him as he made his way down the road. Tino found those piercing blue green eyes unnerving but at the same time comforting. There was just something about that gentle giant that made Tino feel safe and protected.<p>

When Tino turned the corner, leaving Berwald completely out of sight, the violet eyed teen took out his notebook feeling slightly guilty. He looked through his notebook as he walked and it revealed that he had not one, but three completed drawings of the traveler. Tino felt bad for telling Berwald that he hadn't finished drawing, but in a way it was true. Tino hadn't had his fill of drawing the stranger just yet. He was afraid that as soon as he showed Berwald a completed drawing, the traveler would be satisfied and end up moving on to another town. Tino didn't want that. He wanted to stay by Berwald's side.

Tino quickly shook his head. He knew it was completely ridiculous to be this attached to someone he barely even knew. And it was especially ridiculous to have growing feelings for someone who doesn't stay in one place for long.

Tino sighed heavily, looking down at his drawings. He didn't think he would be able to stand it if all he had to remember his new friend were a few sketches. Sketches that didn't do the handsome stranger any justice.

Tino's house soon came into view making the teen's stomach twist uncomfortably. Things at home had gotten worse since Mr. Braginski mentioned that their rent was due soon. Tino's step father was steadily becoming more violent as his frustration increased. The bruises on Tino's sides could attest to that.

Already, Tino could hear his step father's loud voice and the shattering of glass coming from inside the house. Taking a deep breath, Tino closed his notebook and held it close to his chest. He stood up a bit straighter trying to prepare himself for whatever the old drunkard might have in store for him tonight.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Also I have good news!<strong> **I just finished writing chapter 4 so I should only have one chapter left to write of this story. I'm still not sure if I want to write an Epilogue yet though. Cuz I have a feeling that if I write an epilogue for this story then things would definitely go into the rated m category and I'm not sure if I want to take away from the story by adding unnecessary smut. But idk. Ill just see how it goes I guess.**

**Feel free to leave a review. Please and Thank You.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter. This particular chapter (and actually the whole story) was inspired by Broadways Aladdin song called "A Million Miles Away". So if you get a chance, look it up on YouTube cuz its amazing.**

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><p>Tino looked at his refection in the water of the fountain disdainfully.<p>

Last night had been a disaster. Tino had entered the house to find his step-father completely intoxicated and tossing empty bottles against the walls. Shattered glass littered the floor of the house but the man who made the mess didn't pay any mind to it. He was much too busy shouting profanities while Tino's mother could be heard crying from the bedroom.

Tino had tried sneaking pass the man, hoping to avoid him and hide out in his own room. But, being the clumsy teen he was, Tino tripped over the leg of a chair causing it and himself to tumble to the floor with a loud clatter.

Needless to say, Tino's step-father heard the commotion and turned his attention to the teen. Immediately, the man began to demand that Tino tell him why he was home late, insulted the young man for wasting all of his time on "drawing paintings", and (to top it all off) threw one of the glass bottles in his hand at Tino.

Luckly, Tino was quick enough to duck and avoid the glass from colliding with his head. _Unluckily_, the bottle smashed against the wall behind him causing broken glass to shatter everywhere. One of the glass shards even flew out and sliced Tino's cheek.

Tino glared down at the reflection of the long cut. It wasn't deep enough to leave a scar but it still bothered Tino tremendously. Maybe it was vanity that made him so upset to have his face marred or maybe it was the fact that this was one sign of his step-father's abuse that couldn't be hidden from others. Tino couldn't help but fidget uneasily in his seat. Hopefully, Berwald wouldn't comment on his injury. Maybe he wouldn't even notice! Tino didn't feel comfortable explaining his home situation with the traveler just yet. This was most likely because the violet eyed teen didn't know Berwald would react. What if the strong independent traveler thought Tino was a pathetic weakling for never standing up to his father? What if Berwald thought Tino was no longer worth being around? Maybe the other would find Tino too troublesome to hang around and leave him right then and there.

Aaaaaaaah! It was just too stressful for Tino's brain to bear! Tino was going to lose the only friend he ever had and all because of a stupid little cu-

"-ino… Tino?"

Tino jumped when he felt a heavy hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to find Berwald looking down at him with his brows furrowed in concern.

"Oh Berwald! I-I'm so sorry. I just realized that you were calling my name. Sorry I didn't answer I-I…" Tino tried to hide his injury by covering it with his hand, but it was too late. Berwald had seen.

Moving faster than Tino thought possible, Berwald was kneeled in front of the smaller male with worry evident in his eyes.

"Tino, wha' happened?" Berwald asked perplexedly. His hands were resting on Tino's knees. If Tino wasn't so worried about Berwald finding out about how he got hurt he might have been upset by the fact that even though he was sitting higher than the other was, Berwald was eyelevel with Tino. (It wasn't fair that others were always taller than him!)

"I-It's nothing!" Tino said hurriedly with his hand still resting over his cheek. "It's nothing really. I… I…"

"Tino, please le' me see." Berwald cut across the other. In no way was this said rudely. It was said with such worry and concern that Tino was wondering what he was so afraid of in the first place.

Very slowly, Tino lowered his hand and looked to the side so that Berwald could get a better look at the injury. Berwald's expression was unreadable. This made Tino slightly anxious again. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out all of the negative thoughts that popped into his head again. But he didn't need to do that. All of Tino's worries (and any coherent thought for that matter) vanished when he felt something lightly touching his face. Tino snapped open his eyes to find Berwald's face just inches from his own, his hand cradling the other's cheek. The traveler's eyes looked sad as he gazed at the cut on Tino's cheek.

Berwald's genuine concern was alarming, but not unwelcomed. Tino leaned into that gentle touch, feeling as if he could melt right there.

"It's just a scratch." Tino tried giving Berwald a reassuring smile, trying to make the other happy.

Berwald continued to stare at Tino and that made him shift uneasily in his seat. For some reason, those blue green eyes always seemed like they could see the very core of Tino.

"How di' it happen?" Berwald asked again.

Tino bit his lip and looked away. He knew now by Berwald's reaction that he wouldn't run off if he told him the truth, which was good, but Tino didn't think it would be right to burden his new friend with his problems.

"I broke a glass last night." Tino lied as he continued to look away. "I was grabbing a glass off of my kitchen shelf and… uh, it just shattered and a shard flew out and cut my cheek."

Berwald stared at Tino for another few moments, making Tino wonder if his lie was believable or not, but he then pulled Tino into a tight hug.

"Please be more careful. Ah don' like seein' ya hur'." Berwald said quietly. Being this close, Tino could feel the rumble from the traveler's chest as he spoke in his deep voice. It sent a chill down Tino's spine, and not the unpleasant kind…

Tino's heart did a little flutter at Berwald's words. It was moments like these that made Tino feel safe and comforted. The concern in Berwald's voice made it sound like it was possible for him to like Tino more than a friend… but Tino knew that it was still impossible. He knew that no one in their right mind could fall in love with a clumsy airheaded teen like himself. With that in mind, Tino reluctantly pulled away from Berwald.

"Like I said, it's just a scratch." Tino said giving Berwald's arm a soft pat. "No need for concern… really."

Although he didn't look satisfied leaving things as they were, Berwald nodded to let Tino know he wouldn't press the matter any further. Tino smiled at the taller man. He really appreciated the fact that Berwald was considerate of his wishes.

"Thanks…" Tino smiled at Berwald. "Now why don't you take a seat and we can continue where we left off yesterday?"

Berwald smiled ever so slightly. It was a very small and subtle movement that Tino had mistaken as some sort of twitch the first few times the man had done it, but Tino was slowly discovering that the smallest movements on Berwald's face was the taller man expressing some sort of emotion.

Berwald took his seat next to Tino as the smaller male opened his journal to draw.

Tino loved talking to Berwald as he worked. It gave him a chance to observe the traveler and his limited facial expressions.

"So, Berwald…" Tino began as he started a new drawing. "Have you ever traveled by boat before?"

Tino absolutely adored talking to Berwald about his travels. Tino found it thrilling to hear about all of the neighboring Kingdoms Berwald had been to. Tino wished he had Berwald's courage to just take off from home and never look back…

Berwald nodded and answered, "Ah have one."

Tino paused to look up at Berwald, his eyes wide with amazement at this new information.

"You own a boat?!" Tino asked perhaps a bit too loudly in his excitement. "Why am I just hearing about this?! That's so amazing! I've always wanted to ride on a boat… What's it like? How big is it? How often do you sail?"

Tino had to bite his lip to prevent himself from asking anymore questions and waited for Berwald to answer.

Berwald was slow to reply. He seemed to be thinking very carefully about how to answer the smaller man.

"I's a decent size." Berwald responded carefully. "Ah only sail when Ah'm goin' ta another Kingdom… The ocean is beau'iful ta look a'."

Tino gave a small squeal of excitement at Berwald's reply. "That sounds wonderful. Gosh I wish I could go with you." The last sentence was said without thinking and Tino immediately felt embarrassed. He looked back down at his work in a sorry attempt to hide his now very red face from Berwald. "Sorry. That was stupid to say. You wouldn't want someone you barely just met to travel with you…"

Berwald was silent and that made Tino extremely nervous. He hoped he didn't make his new friend uncomfortable by being so forward.

"No' stupid." Tino heard Berwald answer softly. "Ah… Ah'd love for ya ta come with me."

Tino slowly looked up from his journal at Berwald who had a faint blush on his cheeks.

"R-really?" Tino asked hesitantly. He was almost too afraid to hope. He was afraid that the traveler was joking with him… but then again Berwald didn't seem the type to joke about something like that with Tino.

Berwald nodded. "Ah'd even teach ya how ta steer."

Although he tried to suppress it, Tino grinned so widely in excitement that his cheeks hurt.

"I would love that." Tino answered as coolly as possible.

He couldn't help but notice that Berwald's eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter at Tino's reply.

Tino looked back at his journal. Instead of continuing to draw, like he would usually do, Tino turned to another blank page of his treasured journal and ripped a page out.

Berwald looked both surprised and confused as Tino handed him the blank page, but Tino explained, "If you're going to teach me how to steer then _I'm_ going to teach _you_ how to draw."

Tino spent the next few hours trying to teach Berwald to draw. And although the taller man seemed very disappointed with how his first drawing came out (Tino couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a dog or some odd mutated insect) Tino was patient and encouraged Berwald to keep trying. Tino taught Berwald how to draw and combine certain shapes and how to use them to make a picture.

Although they didn't look perfect, Berwald started to get the hang of things and his drawings became more distinguishable. Tino felt excited to share something he loved so dearly with another person. He caught the look in Berwald's eyes as his skills very slowly started improving. Tino saw that same feeling in Berwald that he got when he finished one of his own drawings. The feeling of pride and accomplishment with every little improvement of each finished drawing…

"Ah can see why ya like drawin' so much." Berwald said after Tino praised him on his improvement of his most recent sketch. "Ta be able ta see somethin' an' put on paper, ta share yer poin' of view with others… I's like an extension of yerself. I's a par' of ya…"

Tino leaned against Berwald, his face smushed into the sleeve of the traveler's shirt to hide his smile. He thought his heart would explode with happiness. Tino loved the fact that even though Berwald didn't talk much his few spoken words held a lot of meaning.

"Thank you…" Tino said lamely. He wished he knew how to be more heartfelt and expressive with his words like Berwald. He wished he could tell Berwald thank you for understanding him and being patient with him when no one else was.

Tino felt Berwald's arm move to wrap around him, so Tino looked up and found that Berwald was staring down at him. The traveler's eyes looked soft and warm and caused Tino's stomach do flips. He leaned into the safe embrace of the traveler and stayed there.

"I's getting' late again…" Berwald said quietly making Tino's stomach turn cold.

"There's still some light out." Tino replied as he unconsciously clung to the edge of Berwald's shirt. "We can stay here for a while longer…"

Tino didn't want to go home yet. He didn't want to be torn from the warmth of Berwald's company to the cold harsh house where he knew his step-father would be waiting.

"We can see each other again tomorrow." Berwald pointed out to Tino.

Tino just shook his head and looked up at Berwald with pleading eyes. "Please, just a little longer?"

"Tino…" Berwald frowned looking torn between wanting to give Tino what he wanted and wanting Tino to be safe. "I's no' safe for ya ta be out late."

"But you would be here with me." Tino was quick to answer this time. "I'd be safe here with you." _And away from my step-father._ Tino thought to himself.

Berwald sighed looking quite conflicted. It was silent for a few moments before he spoke, "Wha' if I promise ta take ya on my boa' tomorrow if ya promise me ya will go home safely now?"

Tino perked up immediately after that.

"You'd let me go on your boat? Tomorrow?!" Tino nearly squealed.

Berwald nodded. "Ah tol' ya Ah woul' teach ya how ta steer."

Tino threw his arms around Berwald tightly and exclaimed, "Thank you thank you thank you! Ugh! I wish it was tomorrow already so we could go now, but I'm still really excited!"

At this, Berwald laughed.

Tino looked up quickly with wide eyes. He had never heard Berwald laugh before and the sound made his heart flutter. The travelers face looked much softer when he laughed. It erased all signs of seriousness in Berwald's usually stoic face.

"Berwald?" Tino said grabbing the other's attention. "I like your laugh…"

Berwald looked away blushing and appeared speechless.

Tino laughed and said, "So, boat ride tomorrow?"

Berwald nodded. "Boa' ride tomorrow."

They both said their goodbyes before leaving. Tino felt much better about going home now. After all, what was one more night at home if it meant that he could go with Berwald tomorrow on a boat where he could possibly convince the traveler to keep sailing until they were far far away from evil step fathers?

As Tino approached his home, he noticed that is was a lot quieter than it usually was. Tino took this as a good thing. After all, it was only this quiet when his step-father was asleep. But when Tino opened the door he found that he was very very wrong.

At the kitchen table Tino's mother was crying while her husband sat across from her looking sour and standing right in the middle of the room was…

"Mr. Braginski?" Tino said aloud while clutching his journal just a little tighter. He suddenly had a very uneasy feeling in his stomach. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello little Tino." Mr. Braginski greeted making Tino feel slightly annoyed. (He wasn't _that_ little.) "I came by to collect my money but your father here informs me that it is not here."

Tino fought the urge to correct the man and say 'step-father' and instead asked, "So what does that mean? A-are you here to kick us out?"

Mr. Braginski smiled widely sending chills down Tino's spine.

"Now Tino, I wouldn't cruelly cast a family out into the streets." Mr. Braginski answered. "At least, I wouldn't without trying to make a deal first. A deal which your father was kind enough to agree to."

Tino's mother sobbed harder at this, so Tino knew that the deal must be something bad…

"Deal? What deal?" Tino asked. Mr. Braginski just continued to smile making things become increasingly uneasy for the violet eyed teen. So Tino turned his attention to his step-father. "What deal is he talking about?"

Tino's step-father glared at his wife who continued to sob loudly as he spoke.

"Mr. Braginski is being kind enough to let us live in this house rent free under one condition…" He said before turning his attention to attention. "We have to hand you over into his care so that you may work for him as a servant."

"NO!" Tino shouted as he backed into the nearest wall in fear. "You can't agree to that! You _can't_ make me live with him!"

Tino's step-father stood abruptly making his chair fall back to the floor with a clatter.

"Like hell I can't!" He shouted at Tino with balled fists. "Would you rather see your mother living in the streets?! She'd lose her job and be forced to beg for scraps of food! Would you be okay letting her live that way when you knew there was something you could do to prevent it?!"

Tino felt close to tears. He didn't want to live with Mr. Braginski. He was terrified of living with a man who was known to mistreat his servant more so than his own step-father mistreated him… but he couldn't let his mother live out in the dirty streets of their town.

"O-okay…" Tino said barely above a whiper. "I'll go."

"Good!" Mr. Braginski spoke gleefully. "It's good to see that everyone is on the same page, da?" He walked over to Tino who was still pressed against the wall. "We should be leaving now to get you acquainted with your new home."

Tino nodded numbly as Mr. Braginski lead him out of the house. He couldn't believe this was happening. Wasn't he just laughing and enjoying his time with Berwald a few minutes ago?

Berwald…

The traveler wouldn't know where Tino was! He would come to the fountain tomorrow and there would be no Tino there to greet him. He might just take that as Tino not wanting to be with him anymore and leave! Then Tino would never see him again.

"By the way." Mr. Braginski said pulling Tino out of his thoughts. He swiftly pulled Tino's journal out of his grasp and held it out of reach. "There will hardly be any use for silly things like this at your new home, da?"

Without warning, Mr. Braginski threw Tino's beloved journal onto the side of the road. Tino tried running after it but Mr. Braginski prevented him from doing so by grabbing hold of Tino's collar. Tino fought hard to break free but it was no use. Mr. Braginski was much too strong. He held onto Tino and dragged him away from his journal. Away from his home. Away from any chance he might have had at being free and happy with Berwald.

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><p><strong>Hope you all liked. Feel free to leave a review. Please and thank you~!<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

**Woo Hoo! Next chapter! Enjoy~!**

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><p>Berwald nervously looked at his reflection in the mirror as he tried to fix his hair.<p>

Today was the day…

Today was the day that Berwald planned on revealing his true identity to Tino.

He had the whole thing planned out already. The prince promised Tino he'd take him on his boat so of course he had to bring Tino to the castles docks where the Royal's ships were located. From there he would invite Tino onto the Prince's personal boat (which was actually a rather large ship) and from there he would tell Tino everything. Who he was, why he walked around the village dressed as a traveler… how he had fallen madly in love with the beautiful artist…

Berwald looked at his nightstand where his mother's wedding ring sat in a small box. He knew it look lovely on Tino… That was if the younger male accepted the prince's proposal.

Sighing heavily, Berwald picked up and closed the box before placing it safely in his pocket. He was beyond nervous. The prince was terrified of the possibility that Tino would say no and reject Berwald.

What if Tino didn't even give Berwald a chance to propose! Tino might not like the fact that Berwald had been lying about who he was and would no longer want anything to do with him!

The prince shook the negative thoughts out of his head. He couldn't let the "what if's" stress him out. He needed to make sure the day went smoothly and that Tino enjoyed his time with Berwald before he dropped the big news on him.

With one last look in the mirror to make sure his disguise looked as good as it possibly could, Berwald left his room.

The prince had almost reached the Castle's main entrance when he heard a familiar voice calling out his name.

"Berwald!" King Gustav called after his son.

Berwald turned around and was very surprised to see his father out of bed and walking around unsteadily with the aid of a cane.

"Father!" Berwald hurried to the King's side and grabbed hold of the man's arm to steady him. "Wha' are ya doin' ou' of be'? Ya shoul' be restin'." The prince scolded his father.

"Well, I had to catch you before you left." The King said slightly out of breath. He smiled at his son as he spoke. "We have visitors."

Berwald furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Visitors?"

King Gustav nodded. "Yes. That lovely girl from that neighboring kingdom I told you about has come with her parents. Her name is Lady Penelope and I wanted to introduce you to her."

Berwald frowned at that. "Father Ah can'. I made plans today."

"It would only be for a moment." The King insisted. "I'm just asking that you meet her that is all… It would be rude if she came all the way here and the prince never bothered to even say hello."

Berwald looked away. He didn't know how his father did it but he always had a way of making Berwald feel obligated to do things.

"Alrigh'. I'll introduce myself." Berwald replied.

"Wonderful!" The King beamed as he patted his son on the back. "They are in the throne room so go ahead and say your greetings. I'll be there shortly."

The prince nodded and made his way to the throne room.

Berwald walked down the great hall leading to the throne room in a hurry. All he had to do was greet them make up some excuse and then leave. He would be polite to his guests and still be able to leave in time to see Tino. He'd be in and out in a hurry.

Berwald was just about to enter the throne room but paused when he heard his name.

"Where is Prince Berwald, Father? Did the king not say he would be come to greet us in a moments time?" A young girl's voice questioned in annoyance.

"Be patient my dear. I'm sure he will be here soon." The voice of an older women said. "And stop fidgeting. It's not ladylike to fidget."

"I can't help it!" The girl exclaimed. "I can't wait to become a Queen. It's so exciting! How does my hair look?"

"It looks fine. And you don't know if you'll be queen yet." A third voice said. This one belonged to an older woman. "The King said his son was still deciding wh-"

"Mother, don't speak in such a manner. Of course I'll be Queen. One look at me and the Prince is sure to fall for my charms." The young voice spoke again. "Right father?"

"Of course darling. The Prince would be crazy not to fall in love with someone as beautiful as you."

At this point the prince had heard enough. There was no way he was going to marry anyone that wasn't Tino.

"Goo' mornin'." Berwald greeted his guests loudly to cut off their conversation as he entered the room. The visiting family jumped in surprise at the new arrival, but Berwald didn't let it deter him. When he was standing directly in front of them he bowed before the young girl who he believed to be Lady Penelope. "Pleasure ta mee' ya all."

They all looked at Berwald disdainfully.

"Could you speak up?" Penelope asked rudely. "I can't understand any of your garbled words."

Berwald frowned. Lady Penelope was starting to aggravate him and he had only just met her. He wondered why his father spoke so highly about her.

"Ah apologize if Ah'm hard ta understan'." Berwald apologized.

"Humph, well the prince obviously needs a better messenger you. One that people can actually understand." The girl crossed her arms and turned her back on Berwald before speaking to her parents. "When I'm Queen he'll be the first to go."

Berwald's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly in confusion. He didn't know what Lady Penelope meant by a messenger.

Before Berwald could inquire about the matter, Berwald's father finally entered the room.

"What a wonderful sight to see." King Gustav rested a hand on Berwald's shoulder when he reached the group. "I'm happy to see that you have all have finally met my son."

All three of the visitor's faces paled noticeably.

"Y-you are the Prince?" The man asked nervously.

Berwald simply nodded.

At this, Lady Penelope was quick to curtsy before Berwald and say, "Your majesty! Please forgive me for my rudeness. I did not expect to see a royal dressed so… poorly."

Berwald looked down only to remember that he was still wearing his travelers disguise.

"Sorry." Berwald apologized for his appearance. "Ah had plans ta be somewhere else this mornin'."

"Oh, well the prince is ever so kind to cancel his plans to spend the day with me." The girl said a bit too enthusiastically.

Berwald furrowed his brows and shook his head at her. "Ah didn' cancel my plans. I' was a pleasure to meet ya all, bu' Ah really mus' be goin'."

Berwald gave a small bow to the group and turned to leave. He had been respectful and met with them. Now the prince just really wanted to be alone with Tino.

"W-wait, your majesty!" Lady Penelope was a determined one and moved quickly to stand before Berwald and his exit. "You have not given me a proper chance to redeem myself from my rudeness. I cannot allow you to leave after such a terrible first meeting."

Berwald frowned. He had already made up his mind and fully intended to marry Tino. Nothing this girl could say or do would change the Prince's mind. Berwald planned on telling this girl so but sadly his father took it upon himself to speak for the Prince.

"Of course my son will stay." The King said happily. The King shakily made his way to his son and rested a hand on the Prince's shoulder. "It will be alright if he is a little late for his meeting in the village. Isn't that right Berwald?"

Berwald looked at his father and shook his head. He couldn't be late today. Not the day he planned on asking Tino to become his wife.

"Come now my son…" The King whispered quietly so only Berwald could hear him. He looked pleadingly at Berwald and said, "I planned on showing our guests around the whole castle today. My health still isn't the best and… I was hoping that you would assist me."

Berwald's frown deepened. He didn't like when his father used his failing health to guilt trip him into doing things he had no desire to do… But it always worked. For Berwald knew that he could not allow his father to show their guests around the entire castle all by himself. The man would surely collapse from all of the walking.

Berwald sighed and nodded his head to show his father that he was willing to stay a while longer.

"Wonderful!" The King beamed at his son before turning his attention back to their guests. "Let's start by making our way out to the gardens."

The group began to follow the King and his son out the throne room.

Berwald walked uneasily as Lady Penolope strolled uncomfortably close to him. Berwald sighed again and prayed that Tino would forgive him when he arrived late…

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><p>Tino whimpered as he fell onto the floor in pain. He could still feel the sting of the whip on his shoulder.<p>

"That's the third time today that you've tried to run away." Ivan's sickeningly sweet voice said from behind the teen. "I want you to like your new home, Tino. But when you try to run away, and break the agreement I've made with your father, I certainly can't let that go unpunished… Da?"

Tino looked over his shoulder to see Ivan roll up the whip and hang it on the wall. That morning, Tino had tried three different ways to escape from the Braginski house and meet Berwald. The first time he tried running out the back door, the second he tried sneaking out of the door in the kitchen that lead to the garden, and the third he had tried to climb out a window…. Every attempt ended with him running, quite literally, into Mr. Braginski. It was like the man could read minds!

So here Tino sat. Crumpled in the corner of one of the many rooms in the Braginski house trying to hold back tears from the excruciating pain he felt from his injuries. He refused to look Ivan in the eye and didn't bother answering him.

Ivan shrugged and figured he had gotten his point across to the teen. "I expect you to get back to work with the others. If you try running away again then I'll have to bring you back here in this room. And we wouldn't want that now would we?"

Tino shook slightly. By the light tone in Braginski's, Tino thought that was exactly what the man wanted. But he didn't bother to point it out. Instead he just nodded and hurried out of the room making sure to grab his shirt off of the cold stone floor of the room before doing so.

Although he knew he should, Tino didn't really care that Mr. Braginski was threatening him. It wasn't going to stop him from trying to leave this horrible place. He knew Berwald would be waiting for him at the fountain and he just had to get to him. Berwald was the only one who could help him or if this situation. Tino also knew that if he didn't show up to mee Berwald them the other night think that Tino no longer wanted to see him and then he would leave and Tino would never see his wonderful traveler ever again! And Tino couldn't let that happen. He need Berwald to stay in his life… The man was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Sighing heavily, Tino walked into the kitchen where he knew the other servants we're preparing to start their day. He needed to think of a new escape plan.

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><p>Taking the visiting family out to tour the castle took a lot longer than Berwald expected it to. It was now late in the afternoon and the prince was a few hours late for his meeting with Tino. But it wasn't his fault. The castle was just too big! Halfway through the tour, Berwald tried to politely excuse himself so that he could meet up with Tino but somehow he ended up finishing the tour with Penelope alone while his father took the Duke and the Duchess back into the throne room.<p>

His father probably thought that if Berwald spent some time alone with Penelope then he would change his mind arbor her. But the more time he spent with this girl the more he disliked her. She always had something to say about the castle and how if she was his queen then she would change things. Things that didn't need to be changed at all. And when she wasn't nitpicking about the castles decor then she was commenting on Berwald's poor choice of clothing. It was all very frustrating.

But at least it was all over now. Now he could go see Tino… That was if the other was still there waiting for him.

Berwald reached the fountain slightly out of breath (he had been trying to get to the fountain as far as he could) but he was disheartened to find that Tino was not there.

Berwald looked around hoping that perhaps Tino had just barely left and he could still catch up to him. But sadly, the prince couldn't see the teen anywhere.

Berwald sat down on the ledge of the fountain with a frown. Thoughts of Tino being upset with him came to mind. The prince wouldn't know what he would do if Tino became so upset that he no longer wished to see him.

The prince shook that last thought out of his head. He didn't want to start jumping to conclusions. Maybe Tino left for a moment and would be back.

So, hoping that his last thoughts were right, Berwald decided to wait.

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><p>Tino walked carefully through the Braginski house. The whole morning Tino could feel Mr. Braginski watching his every move. It was unnerving and not in the pleasant way like how he felt when Berwald was studying him. No, not at all. When Berwald watched him, Tino felt like traveler could really see Tino for who he was and the traveler even appreciated him for it. But Braginski… his eyes where cold and had a veiled sort of hostility behind them. That stare made Tino feel like he had to extra careful of what he did. He felt like he was walking on eggshells the entire morning. Waiting for those cold eyes to stop staring just long enough for Tino to try and make another escape.<p>

"M-M-M-Mr. Braginski?" A nervous voice from the doorway called.

Tino looked up from the task her was doing (polishing the silver in the dining room) to see Ravis, one of Braginski's servants, was trembling nervously.

"What is it small one?" Mr. Braginski asked from his seat at the table.

"Uh… um… Well it's your study sir. I heard a noise and…" Ravis trailed off as if he was too afraid to finish his sentence.

"And what?" Mr. Braginski asked in a sickenly sweet voice that sounded cold.

Ravis gulped nervously and said, "The window behind your desk is broken. I think one of the children from the village did it but I didn't see who."

Mr. Braginski rose from his seat and walked out of the room. He was most likely going to his study to see the damage and who could have caused it. Ravis followed closely behind.

Now was Tino's chance to escape!

As soon as Braginski walked out of the room, Tino made beeline for the front door. He turned the doorknob and pulled but it wouldn't move. He tried pulling and even pushing on the door again but it still wouldn't budge. On his 5th try, Tino stepped back to get a better look at it and growled in frustration when he saw a padlock there.

How ridiculous. Who the hell locks their front door?!

Tino looked around frantically. He knew that Mr. Braginski could be back at any moment so he only had a limited amount of time to get out of this house of horror.

Making his way down the hallway as quickly and quietly as possible, Tino made his way to the only oter place in the house that he did not try escaping from. The attic.

Tino breathed in a nervous sort of breathlessness as he made his way up the stairs that lead to the highest area of the home. He hated to admit it, but he was terrified of Braginski jumping out and catching him again. The teen was still recovering from his last punishment… He didn't want to think of what Braginski would do to him if he found him trying to escape _this_ time.

The attic was a very clean and organized room. It made sense to Tino that it was as clean as the rest of the house. Braginski seemed to like everything in order. That or he just liked trying to find more things for his servants to do.

Walking around the attic, Tino found a window that faced out to the Village. Tino could escape out through here and make a quick dash towards the fountain where (hopefully) Berwald would be waiting. But now the only thing standing in between Tino and his freedom was a way down from the high window. He was only one story up but it was still a long way down for the short teen. If he tried to jump then surely he would be injured. He could probably twist or break and ankle and then Mr. Braginski would just be able to walk to the front yard and drag Tino back into the house if he was to be lying there all injured and whatnot. So Tino looked around and thought hard about how he was going to do this.

There was quite a bit of useless things in this attic. Old dressers and trunks all filled with old clothing. An old cracked mirror, a coat rack, shoes, and tons of sheets covering these items so that they wouldn't collect dust. Tino found this to be a bit ridiculous because Braginski obviously had someone up here dusting once a week by the look of how clean everything wa-

Tino stopped his train of thought when an idea dawned on him. The SHEETS! He could tie them together and use them as a rope to climb out the window. HA! He bet no one ever thought of such a brilliant plan before.

Quickly grabbing all the sheets he needed, Tino tied them all together and wrapped the end of his makeshift rope around one of the heavy dressers as an anchor. He then opened the window and threw the other end out to dangle in the slight breeze. Now for the tricky part. Actually climbing out the window…

Although he was nervous, Tino was also determined. Determined to get out of this house and see Berwald. So he took a deep breath and held onto the blanket as he climbed out the window.

Surprisingly, climbing down wasn't as hard as Tino thought it would be. In fact, it was kind of easy. Tino wanted to jump with glee in celebration when his feet touched the ground, but his joy was short lived when he heard a familiar sickeningly sweet voice ask…

"Those are my sheets, are they not?"

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><p>Berwald sat patiently on the edge of the fountain for what seemed like an eternity. The sun was hanging dangerously low in the sky and Berwald never got a glimpse of Tino. The prince's throat felt thick and his heart ached at the fact that he had missed the wonderful airheaded teen. He had missed precious time with Tino and it was all his fault.<p>

Today was supposed to be special. He made a promise to Tino and now he had broken that promise. Tino had been so excited when Berwald told him he would show him his boat. The young teen had probably been sitting in this very spot expectantly while Berwald had been off showing Lady Penelope the castle.

Oh how the prince wished he could start the day all over again. He wished he could've just been firm and told his father no. Then he and Tino would probably be by the castle this very moment, eagerly waiting on the prince's grand ship for night to fall. Waiting for the stars to shine brightly in the night sky. Tino might have already had that beautiful ring on his left ring finger….

Berwald clutched his chest as the dull ache began to intensify. He messed up. And he couldn't start the day over to make it go the way he planned… But tomorrow was a new day. A new day to make things right. Berwald could come back tomorrow, apologize and try to make it up to Tino the best way he could. Even if Tino was upset at Berwald for breaking his promise, Berwald wasn't going to give up. He wanted to be his bride and he was not going to let todays mishaps stop him from courting Tino.

So, already thinking of ways to apologize, Berwald left the fountain and headed back to the castle.

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><p><strong>Did any of you think that Berwald was gonna get Tino back? Or at all for that matter? Who said this story was even going to have a happy ending? Muahahaha and I say it will have a happy ending cuz I'm not a monster and I hate sad endings. So just be patient and we shall all see where this goes.<strong>

**I am terribly sorry to inform you that this is the last chapter I have written down. I already have part of the next chapter written but it still may take a while to post. So no more posting a chapter every other day. But I'm so very happy with the way this story is coming out and I really don't want to take like a year to update it so I shall try my best to write when I can. And yall can feel free to message me and kick my butt if the next update is taking too long.**

**With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a review. Please and thank you.**

**(Also, thank you to those who already left a review. I love seeing your reactions and they made my heart super happy. You're all angels.)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Yay next chapter! And it didn't take me a year to write it! Probably because I was motivated to write it by such wonderful readers with your awesome reviews. Thank you all sooooooo much!**

**Now enjoy some more sufin.**

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><p>Berwald didn't get much sleep the night before. He was much too busy trying to think of the best way to apologize to Tino for not keeping his promise. The first thing that came to mind was the classic apology package: flowers, sweets, maybe a small gift... Well, whatever Berwald chose to do he knew that he wanted it to be personal. So that meant no on the sweets since the Prince didn't know how to bake very well.<p>

Flowers seemed acceptable. He would go to the Gardens tomorrow and hand pick the most beautiful ones himself. The white roses were coming in beautifully this time of year and he was sure they would look lovely with some Lilys of the Valley. Berwald was posative that Lily of the Valley wold be the perfect flower for Tino. They symbolized humility, sweetness, and purity. These were all charictaristics that fit the young artist perfectly.

Now, what else could Berwald give to Tino?

There were many beautiful paintings in the castle that Berwald knew Tino would appreciate... but Berwald would probably look a little ridiculous walking into the village carrying a great big painting. Berwald had to think of something smaller that the artist would like to have.

After some very thoughtful consideration, Berwald finally decided on giving Tino his small dagger. He knew it sounded like an odd choice but he had actually put a lot of thought into this. The dagger was handcrafted by the castle's blacksmith, and you could tell by looking at the small weapon that the man put a lot of time and care into it. The blade was made out of incredibly rare material called wootz steel. The wootz steel produced a natural and interesting design by itself and the handle was fashioned into s very complex yet beautiful design. And on the hilt of the dagger was a blue gem with his family's royal crest. Berwald was positive that Tino would appreciate the artistic design of the dagger and he would most likely use the dagger as a drawing template.

So, after making sure the dagger was secured on his belt and making sure he had a beautiful enough bouquet of flowers, Berwald made his way to the village. He didn't dare get sidetracked when his father insisted he spend more time with Lady Penelope. Oh no, he learned his lesson already and there was no way he was going to be late to meet Tino again.

Berwald made it to the fountain but he was disheartened to see that Tino wasn't there yet. But the Prince decided to wait anyways. He waited... and waited... and waited... but Tino never came.

With most of the morning already gone and still no Tino in sight, Berwald figured that perhaps the young artist was all upset with him and was trying to avoid Berwald! Now, normally when someone was trying to avoid the prince (since it did happen quite often) Berwald would be polite and not approach them. But he was not going to do that with Tino. He needed to apologize to the other and he needed the artist to forgive him.

Berwald left the fountain and began asking people I'd they knew where the Väinämoinen's lived. The first few people he asked hurried away since they were too scared to answer him, but the fourth person seemed to take note of the flowers in Berwald's hands and deemed it ok to answer the disguised Prince's question.

It didn't take Berwald long to find the small little cottage just outside the Village. The closer Berwald got to the cottage, the more nervous he felt. He could almost hear the muffled thud of his heart hammering away against his ribcage, but he tried his best to pay no mind to it.

Berwald took a deep breath as he stood before the front door. Then knocked...

It wasn't long before the door to the small cottage opened slowly. The man who answered it looked unsteady on his feet. He smelled strongly of liquor and had a bottle in his hand that wasn't holding onto the door for support.

"What d-d'ya want?" The man asked in slurred speech.

Berwald looked at the man in confusion.

Maybe he had the wrong house... Tino couldn't live in a house with this sort of man.

"Sorry." Berwald apologized for interrupting this man's morning. "Ah was lookin' for Tino Väinämoinen but Ah mus' have the wrong-"

"He's not here anymore." The man interrupted rudely.

Berwald paused feeling confused. So Tino did live here. Then where was he if he wasn't at the fountain?

"Do ya know where he is or when he'll be home?" Berwald asked the man.

"Pft." The man rolled his eyes before taking a drink from his bottle. He then looked at Berwald and said, "When I say he's gone I mean he doesn't live in the damn house anymore. I sold him."

Berwald stilled as the man's words sunk in. His eyes grew wide in horror.

"Ya... ya sol' him?!" Berwald asked barely above a whisper. How could something this terrible have happened?!

"'Course I did. Couldn't do it fast enough." The man slurred as he wobbled slightly in place. "I hate him for all the trouble he caused me. Pretending to be some great artist with that stupid little sketchbook of his. Can't even help his own fucking father!"

Admist the horror Berwald felt over the situation, the disguised prince glared threateningly at the man for speaking about Tino in such a horrible manner.

"Don' talk abou' Tino that way..." Berwald growled. He was steadily getting more and more enraged at drunkard. The prince clenched his first to prevent himself from doing something he'd regret.

Tino's father didn't notice look Berwald was giving him so it didn't stop him from running his mouth.

"Do you know what is like to be the stepfather of the Village freak?!" Tino's father continued his drunk rant. "That ungrateful little shit was a damn curse! I should've sold him long before n-"

Tino's stepfather didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. The drunkard was shoved against the door forcefully by a fuming prince. Neither of the two noticed that the bouquet of flowers had fallen into a heap on the ground.

Berwald was seething with anger. The usually kindhearted prince wanted to cause this man as much pain as he must have inflicted upon Tino over the years. But he couldn't do that. Not yet anyways. He still needed to find out where Tino was.

"Where... is he?" Berwald said slowly and sternly so that the drunkard would understand.

Fear flashed across the man's face at the terrifying look Berwald was giving him. All signs of his aggression was gone.

"I-I told you he's gone." The man stuttered. "I sold him to the village's landowner. T-that Braginski fellow."

Berwald continued to glare at the man. He shook slightly in anger. He wanted to inflict pain upon this sorry excuse for a man or to even throw him in his castle's dungeon to rot away for the rest of his life... But this man wasn't worth his time.

Berwald shoved the man as he backed away from him. He needed to go find Tino. He couldn't waste any time on this pathetic man when Tino was in trouble.

As the prince turned away, Tino's stepfather got some of his courage back so he stood straighter and said bitterly as he kicked the fallen flowers, "You both deserve each other, ya know that? It figures that the little queer would choose to spend his time hanging around-"

**BAM**

Before the man could finish he was knocked out by a single punch to the face from Berwald.

The Prince walked away from the cottage in a hurry. His jaw was clenched shut and his throat felt thick. How could he have let this happen? He was supposed to protect Tino and keep him safe. The thought of having failed Tino so horribly left the Prinice feeling miserable.

Berwald was then pulled out of his thoughts when he saw something familiar on the side of the road. His breath caught as he slowly approached what he knew to be Tino's most prized possession. The young artist's notebook...

Berwald picked up the worn out journal and held it to his chest just like he had seen Tino do many times before.

He was going to get Tino back. And he was going to make sure that the man responsible for ripping away everything Tino loved from the artist would in return have everything ripped away from him.

Tino sighed as he rubbed his swollen cheek. As he walked from room to room of the great house the constant clinking of the shackles around his ankle reminded him of how hopeless his situation had become.

There was no way out. None. No matter how hard he tried, Mr. Braginski was always one step ahead of him. Yes, Tino knew that he would most likely be a servant for the village's landowner until the day he died... So why did he still feel hopeful?

Out of all that had happened so far, Tino couldn't shake off the feeling that there was still hope for him and that he could still get out of this dismal place. It was an odd and almost confusing feeling. It was like his head was telling him "_you're stuck here, deal with it_" but his heart kept trying to convince Tino by saying "_be patient, you're gonna get out of here_."

Ugh, Tino just wished that he could quiet his thoughts. They could be so loud sometimes and it gave him a headache. He really wished that Berwald was here... Well, not here. Here was terrible and depressing. (Stupid Braginski house.) But Tino wished he was with Berwald. Berwald had a calming presence about him that never failed to make Tino feel comfortable.

Tino knew that he often worried too much. He knew that he had a talent of putting way too much thought into a situation and then blowing it of proportion. But Berwald had a talent of being able to bring all of Tino's loud thoughts down to a more bearable volume and then Tino would wonder why he had been so worried in the first place.

Tino missed that. He missed it a lot. He missed Berwald. He missed Berwald so much it made his heart ache unbearably.

Tino bit his lip to prevent himself from crying. He couldn't cry. He had to remain strong.

"Tino? Is everything alright?"

The voice made Tino jump. He looked around worryingly expecting to see Mr. Braginski but saw that it was only one of the other servants.

"Oh Eduard. You scared me." Tino said as he clutched a hand over his racing heart.

"Sorry about that." Eduard said as he straightened his glasses although he didn't look too sorry. "You never came to the kitchens to eat breakfast and a couple of us already finished lunch. I thought maybe you forgot about the meal times so I came to find you before your lunch break is over."

Tino frowned and went back to what he was doing before (folding laundry).

"I'm not hungry." Tino replied.

Eduard was silent for a moment but then spoke up, "You know it's not good to skip meals?" When Tino didn't reply, Eduard decided to continue, "This place isn't as bad as you think it is Tino. You get used to the way things are done around here. Just continue to do what you're told, don't mess up, and everything will be fine. "

"And what happens when we mess up?" Tino asked retorichally.

Eduard paused and shivered slightly but did his best to keep a straight face. "Do what you're told, don't mess up, and eveything will be fine."

Tino continued to frown. He doubted that very much and opened his mouth to tell Eduard that, but he was interrupted by a very loud and angry knock conning from the front door that wad just down the hallway.

"That's odd... No one ever comes to see Mr. Braginski." Eduard said curiously. "I wonder who that could be…."

Tino stayed where he was as Eduard left to answer the door. Whoever was here didn't interest Tino.

Berwald glared at the door in front of him. Right now it was one of the barriers that was keeping him from seeing Tino.

It hadn't taken Berwald long to find this place. Everyone in the Village seemed to know where Braginski lived and when the Prince had found the right house he didn't waste any time banging on the front door to be let in. But what was taking them so long to answer?!

Berwald began to consider breaking the door down but that thought was thrown away when someone opened the door.

"Hello, welcome to- OH MY GOD! You're scary!"

Berwald didn't spare any time to be offended by this man's comment. He fully pushed the door open (perhaps a bit too harshly) and made his way inside.

"E-excuse me sir! You can't just barge in like that!" The man stammered as he got over his shock. He followed closely behind Berwald who was looking into each room he passed. "Sir, I'm going to b have to ask you to lea-"

"Does there seem to be a problem, Eduard?" A sweet childlike voice inquired.

Berwald turned to see a very tall man with an overly sweet smile standing in the doorway of one of the many rooms.

"N-no!" The man named Eduard stammered. He now seemed much tenser than before with the presence of this new arrival. "Well yes actually. This man barged in unannounced. I tried to get him to leave Mr. Braginski but he wouldn't listen and..."

The rest of Eduard's explanation fell deaf on Berwald's ears.

Braginski...

That is what Eduard called the man that would not take his eyes off Berwald. That's what he called the man whose elastic smile looked like it was hiding a sinister secret.

Braginski...

That was the name of the man who took Tino...

Berwald clenched his first and glared at the smiling man.

"Ah came ta ge' Tino." Berwald cut across the still stammering Eduard to tell Braginski why he was here.

Eduard looked surprised by Berwald's comment while Mr. Braginski's smile widened.

"Tino is under my care now, and I'm sorry to tell you that he is not for sale." Mr. Braginski informed Berwald.

Berwald frowned angrily and shook his head, "Ah didn' come ta buy him. Ah'm takin' him with me"

"You think I'll just hand over my property to you for nothing in return?" Mr. Braginski said with a small eerie giggle.

"Tino is not property." Berwald growled. "He doesn' belong ta ya."

"Well he most certainly doesn't belong to you." Mr. Braginski replied. "And he never will no matter how badly you may want him to."

Berwald could feel blood rushing to his head making it hot with anger. He drew himself up to full height to make himself seem more threatening but before he could say anything else to the man, a small gasp interrupted him.

"Berwald?!"

Berwald's anger vanished immediately at the sound of that all too familiar and lovable voice. The Prince turned to find the source of that sweet voice. He felt like crying tears of joy much like the violet eyed teen before him was doing.

"Tino..." Berwald sighed in relief to see the other before him.

"Oh my god. Berwald!" Tino cried happily. "It's really you! You're really here!"

Tino tried to run forward but he tripped over the shackles around his able that Berwald didn't notice were there until now.

Berwald rushed forward to help the fallen teen but he ended up running straight into Braginski when the large man took it upon himself to stand in between the two.

"I already told you that you can't take him with you." Braginski said in a threateningly sweet voice. "Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave or I may have to report you... An unknown traveler like yourself, barging into a wealthy man's house and trying to take what is his... The King would surely have you beheaded."

Tino gasped in horror from behind Braginski. His eyes were wide with fear of the thought of Berwald dieing because of him.

Tino stood shakily on his feet. He looked at a Berwald with sad eyes. "You need to go Berwald. You can't get killed because of me..."

Berwald starred back at Tino. With the other being this close, Berwald noticed things that he didn't notice before when he first saw Tino in the house. Like how his cheek was swollen as if he had been hit. And he was hunched over slightly as if his back was in pain.

Berwald turned his attention back to Braginski. He glared furiously at the man and pulled out the dagger that had been resting on his hip.

Tino froze at the sight of the weapon and his face paled noticably.

Eduard, who had been trying to blend into the background, immediately fled into another room.

Braginski's face darkened behind his ever present fake smile.

"Yer goin' ta let Tino go." Berwald said as he held the weapon threatening before the village's landowner. "It's an order from the crown Prince of Wellbourne."

Berwald then turned the dagger over in his hand to reveal the royal family's crest.

If the situation wasn't so serious, Berwald was sure he would have chuckled at Tino's face, which was now a mixture of shock, confusion, and amazement.

And (for what Berwald was sure to be the first time in forever) Braginski's smile dropped. His eyes turned cold and hard when the realization that Berwald was the Prince and future ruler of Wellbourne.

After a long and uncomfortable silence, Braginski growled begrudgingly, "There is no point of me trying to fight you on this, yes? You may take him."

Braginski handed Berwald the keys to Tino's shackles.

Berwald wasted no time making his way over to Tino. He would have loved to take the time to cherish being reunited with the other by pulling him into a tight embrace while whispering reassuring words to the other that he would never be hurt again. But Berwald was in a hurry to get Tino out of this place!

As soon as he was done helping Tino taking the shackles off the artist's slightly bruised ankles, he took hold of Tino's hand in his own and lead him out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok I know I said that the next chapter would be the last chapter but apparently I lied. There is still one more chapter and still a possible epilogue (still debating on the last one).<strong>

**But YAY! Berwald got Tino back~!**

**Hopefully you guys have some peace of mind knowing Tino is safe for the time being. But now the question is if Berwald will go through with the proposal and if Tino will accept.**

**Thanks again for reading and thank you to all of those who have reviewed. They all made me smile.**

**So goodbye until next chapter. Feel free to leave a review. Please and thank you.**


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